ICOH Scientific Committee: INDOOR AIR QUALITY AND HEALTH

Secretary: Prof. Heidi SALONEN, Department of Civil Engineering, Aalto University, PO BOX 12100, FI-00076 AALTO, Finland - Email: heidi.salonen@aalto.fi
Chair: Chair: Prof. Kenichi AZUMA, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine 377-2 Ohnohigashi Osakasayama, Osaka 589-8511, Japan - Email: kenazuma@med.kindai.ac.jp
Former Chair: Professor Paolo CARRER, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan Italy – Email: paolo.carrer@unimi.it
Workers employed in the non-industrial building sector (offices, banks, schools, etc.) account for the major part of the labour force in many countries; further, the age of the working force is anticipated to increase. Effects on health, well-being, and work performance on so-called office workers are reported with high prevalence despite modern building technology, advanced ventilation, the use of low-emitting construction products, and electronic devices. Thus, the indoor air quality (IAQ) in non-industrial buildings continues to be an issue of concern, also in view of potential synergies with psychological and psychosocial stressors. This is because it deals with workers providing services of the highest relevance for the companies/communities/schools and deteriorated performance is costly for the society. Thus, the concern about IAQ in office-like buildings is important, not only from the perspective of health and well-being, but also from the point of work performance and ability to learn, e.g. in schools. Inadequate IAQ may ultimately result in absenteeism and associated diseases. Thus, it is highly relevant to understand indoor environmental, personal and occupational risk factors and their potential interplay causing the prevalence of poor IAQ complaints, symptoms and associated sickness absence, and deteriorated work performance and learning.
If you want to be acquainted and updated about IAQ issues, we invite you to become member of our SC.
Please, send your CV to Secretary, Prof. Heidi SALONEN - heidi.salonen@aalto.fi and Chair, Prof. Kenichi AZUMA – kenazuma@med.kindai.ac.jp